To ask how many days you went back to work after kids?

[moneymatleave]

Just wondering. On my first maternity leave and love spending my time with my baby. Childcare places are in short supply, due to moving house we still aren’t sorted for next September so not sure what we are going to do really. I don’t really like the idea of my DC doing long days in nursery certainly until they are at least over 2, ideally nearer to 3. If I dropped two days a week of work I would lose £800 a month which is nearly half our disposable income as a family.

Considerations against PT are any future maternity leaves and my pension contributions. Less worried about my pension for the next 5-10 years as I am in my 20s and have lots of working years ahead.

I’m just not sure what is best and want to be able to spend more time with my baby than they spend in childcare as I already know how fast it goes!

I went back and did 21 hours across 3 days and that was enough as I wanted to spend as much time as possible with my little one. I was in a position where my husband was able to cover bills and we could afford this. Yes lots of people on here will tell you to not do this or be financially reliable on a man, but it was the best thing I've done and years down the line now I'm able to work more so it's all worked out for the best.

I went back 4 days/week after ML. Topping up my "lost" pension - both my and my employer's contribution was a shared cost that came out of the "joint family pot". There is no way you should take a financial hit for going PT and the more you put into your pension whilst you are still young, the better.

Full time. Compressed into 4 days with the first. Normal office hours after the second. The early earning years are vital for pension contributions due to compounding.

I think it depends what you can realistically afford while still being able to live. One of my friends returned from her maternity leave to do 3 days a week and has now less than 3 months later increased that to 4 days as although they had looked at it financially and it was doable on paper, the reality felt very different and they were finding they just had no money to do anything, no coffees, no lunches, no soft play etc and no ability to save either.

Are you married? If not, part time isn’t a particularly good idea.

I’m on maternity leave currently and I’m going back 4 days a week so dropping 1 day but in my role I typically finish work between 3 & 4 and I work flexi so I choose my own hours, if I had a job with strict shifts set like 9-5/10-6 or NHS 13 hour shifts I’d have dropped an extra day.

3 days until they were a year old. Then four days until my youngest started school, when I went FT again.

I found four days a good compromise - I was present enough to make career progress and still got some time at home. When I went back to FT I was earning a lot more than I had when I had my first DC.

I was nursing. I did an evening shift, then full nights,3 a week while DH worked days. I didn't expect to do it with my last baby, but divorce, repossession of house from first H. With my older 3 maternity leave was 6 weeks after birth. I managed to save enough money so I could have 3 months off.

5 days. But we had family helping with childcare 2 days a week which helped with the finances, and any concerns about them being in nursery too much.

3 but 12 hours per day. I’d rather spread them out more but oh works away and this is all I can manage with childcare. Tbh I’m only managing this now the eldest has turned 16 and is looking after the little one after school (had mine far apart)

I went back five days a week with lots of flexibility and good use of annual leave. DS was in nursery for two days and with his dad the rest of the time. I missed nothing and we’re very close.

4 days when DD was 10 or 11 months old, back to FT now she’s in school.

I do 3-4, but it’s half day work, so very much part time. Hoping to earn more from freelance work over the next few months / years to have more WFH earning potential. I hate working for an employer so much! Much harder now with kids.

I'm leaving my office job and doing evenings at a supermarket until she's in school. I can't feasibly work the day time hours and pay for nursery, plus the kids sick days etc, this way we can parent in shifts and avoid childcare until the situation changes.

I went back to work full time when DS was five weeks old.

i regret that. But had little choice at the time.

Full time. Going part time in my career would mean stepping down from a senior role and losing all of my flexibility.

I went back at 12 weeks both times. Long maternity leaves are definitely not for me.

4 days after DD1, but with DH and I using an AL day alternate weeks. So DD1 had 2 days in nursery, 1 day with my mum, 1day I was off plus the AL day with me or DH.

After DD2 I went back 2.5 days a week, using leave to cover the .5 so in practice worked 2 days a week until 2nd birthday, then increased to 3.5 days a week.

I did full time over four days in 'split shifts', so worked about 8.30-4, nursery pick up and a nice evening together, and then picked up any work that needed to be finished for the day after bed time. DH did the exact same pattern so we each had one day with DC during the week. It was lovely!

Similar for me in all respects and don't regret it at all.

half days. DC has complex SN though and could cope FT. plan was FT. My career has been dead since. stuck in crap admin jobs. If you are career focussed, don't reduce the hours. If you are just in a dead end job, it will matter less. You earn less but will save on nursery fees plus more time with the child.

4 days a week, 32h. The original intention was full time but I had severe pnd and haven't been well enough for full time work since.
I work 80% but my take home pay is about 90% of my full time take home pay. It worked out cost neutral as my drop in pay was balanced out by a day less in nursery and in the office reducing my commuting cost.
My daughter is now in school so it's probably a small loss now but we would still be looking at an extra day in breakfast club and another extended day in after-school club which is. My daughter does swimming lessons on my day off which is nice too and means we don't have to cram it into the weekends.
It's primarily for me that I work 4 days but we benefit as a family too. I do the food shop on my day off and try to run errands mid week keeping more of the weekend free for family time

I went back three days per week after first child, took a year off for each maternity leave and I’ve stayed at three days ever since. I think three days is perfect because you’re still with them for more days of the week than you’re not with them.
All children now in their teens so no childcare to consider but I still think being part time is useful for being around for them and for keeping on top of running a busy house alongside working.

It's a balance - long days in nursery aren't great but actually, the earlier you save into your pension, the more it'll grow by retirement age and children need your input for a long number of years - easy to have tunnel vision about the first few years in those years.

If you're having a dc two, and that's the clear plan, I'd be wary of cutting back too much especially if you've got further financial hits to come, it quickly becomes easier for you to justify cutting back even more, working even less.

Then you turn around in your mid to late 30s and you've got two primary aged dc, kids wanting to do lots of extra curriculars, crappy job options due to years of just getting by and oooh your pension doesn't look good.

I'd try for 4 days, and plan to cut back to three days after dc2.

Went back 3 half days a week

Couldn't stand the idea of DS in nursery for longer than 4-5 hours so little

Once they're in school you'll have more hours to work
Money will always be there if you know what I mean

Full time after maternity leave.

DS went to a child minder full time. It worked well.

With my first I went back 20 hours. I never went back with my second as I fell pregnant with my third when she was 4 months. Due to my eldest, now 26, being disabled I’ve only recently returned to doing one day a week.

Can you WFH at all or work flexibly? When DD was one I put her in childcare four days and WFH a day with her. I worked extra hours the other four days to give myself a "light" fifth day, and it was lovely having the extra time with her.